Automatic switch for railways



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. T. ARGO.. AUTOMATIC SWITCH TUB. TLMLWTTTS.

Patented Jul-y 23, 1889.

- @MMM/...M45 Y m (No Model.) 2i sheets-sheet 2.

J. T. ARGO.

- AUTOMATIC SWITGH POR RAILWAYS.

No. 407,504. Patented July Z3, 1889.

. Z'mm l n f 5 f w I f fw 11i 1 Il l J vka. e el: L f' A UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE JOHN T. ARGO, OFPOINDEXTER, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,504, dated July 23,1889.

Application iiled July 25, 1888.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that-I, JOHN T. ARGO, a citizen of the United States,residing at Poindexter, in the county of I-Iarrison and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailroad-Switch Operators; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to railroad-switches, and particularly to themechanism for automatically operating the switch from the train fromeither approach.

The main track is yieldingly held closed in the usual manner, so as toallow the train to enter thereon from the side or branch track. A .leverpivoted to one of the rails and adapted to work in a horizontal planehas one end constructed to bear against the switch-rails, and has thesame end provided with a connection which passes through the rail and isprovided with a stop on its projecting end, a spring being mounted onthe said connection and confined between the said stop and the side ofthe rail opposite to that from which the connection entered. An endlesscable passing around pulleys placed at a proper distance on each sideofthe said lever and connected with the lever is provided with stops atits ends. One stop at one end is connected with the upper portion of thecable. The other stop at the other end is connected with the lowerportion of the said cable. The guard-rail opposite the stops has adouble-inclined block applied thereto to disengage the operating deviceon the train from the said stop at the proper time.

The improvement consists of the peculiar construction and combination ofparts, which hereinafter will be more fully described and claimed, andshown in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view, partsbeing broken away, of a railroad-switch embodying my invention; Fig. 2,a side view of the railroadswitch; Fig. 3, a detail side view, partly insection, of the right-hand end of the switch Serial No. 281,005. (Nomodel.)

shown in Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4, a plan view of the switchbetween the lines 1 l and 2 2 of Fig. l, on an enlarged scale and in areversed position; Fig. 5, a detail side View of the switch-stand; Fig.G, a cross-section on the line X X of Fig. 3; Fig. 7, longitudinalsectional views of the stops which are secured to the upper and thelower portions of the cable, respectively; and Fig. 8, a verticalsection on the line 8 S of Fig. 2.

The main track A and the switch B are of ordinary construction. The railO is provided with an opening a. nearly opposite the end of the switch,through which extends the inner end of theV lever D,which operates in ahorizontal plane. The pivotal support d of the lever is held between therail and the casting o. The inner end of the lever is adapted to bearagainst the switch, and is provided with the connection E, that passesthrough one of the switch-rails and has the stop c on its end. Thespring e', mounted on the end of the connection projected through theswitch-rail, is confined between the said railv and the stop e.

The purpose of lever D is to operate the switch-rails. In one positionit forces the switch-rails over against the pressure of the spring, andin the other position allows the spring( to reset the switch or closesthe switch through the connection E, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. Itwill be observed that the spring e is interposed between the head e ofconnection E and the side of the switchrail, and when the switch is setif a car comes from the left on the main rail the said spring c will be'compressed to permit the iianges of the wheels to pass between theswitch and main rails. Otherwise, if no provision were made foryielding, the car would be in danger of derailment or the connectionswould be strained and broken.

The endless cable F, passing around the pulleys f and f' and through theguides f2, is connected with the lever D, and is provided with stops atits ends. The stop I-I is secured to the upper portion of the cable andthe stop II to the lower portion of the said cable. By this arrangementthe stops move with equal speed toward or away from one another. Each ofthe stops has two openings, through which the parts of the cable pass,

the rails.

one part of the cable beingjfast with the stop, the other part freetoslide through the other opening. The stop Il works between theguard-rail I and the main rail C, and theA stop H between the guard-railI andthe rail C. The sides of the stops are expanded to fit the spacebetween the foot and the tops of the rails, which hold them againstvertical displacement.

The double-inclined blocks J and J', secured to the guard-rails, serveto disengage the yielding arm K on a truck of the train from the stops.The arm K works vertically through openings in the truck-frame, and isprovided with the stops k and with the lateral rollers L, `which areadapted to run 'on The'spring Z on the'arm K is coniin ed between thestops 7d and the upper beam of the truck and holds the arm within thepath of the stop.Y

The rotatable shaft M, having the arm m connected with theiarm K by theconnection 7c', is provided with the lever rnt,'by means of which it isrotated to'litt the arm K out of the pat-h of the stops Il 1l when it isdesired not to operate the switch, theleverbeing held by the hook m2.The connection 7c', which is a chain or rope, is connected at one end`to the arm 'm and at its other end to the stop 70,; as most clearlyshown in Figs. and 8.1 There will be an arm and connections foreaclrside 0f the truck, both being connected withi the shaft M. v

The switch is held against the main rail byi` the spring n, which ismounted on the rod N and confined between the stop n on the' rod; N andthe stop n2 on the switch. The switch-Z stand O and the switch-lever Pare of usual construction, and the switch-lever has a con# nection withthe switch by means vof' the rod p.

'Vhen it is desired to operate the switch. from an approaching` train,the arm K is lowered and the rollers L thereof travel on the rails. Asthe train approaches the arm K will engage with the stop lvl and operatethe cable and the lever D and change the position of the switch. Theparts are so disposed that when the switch is operated one of therollers L will ride on the block J and disengage the said arm from thestop. Vhen the train reaches the second stop and operates it, the switchwill be returned to its normal position, after which one of the rollersL will ride on the block J and disengage the arm from the second stop.

Having thus described my in vention,`what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1.-

l. The combination, with the main track and the switch, of the lever D,means for operating the said lever, as the cable having stops connectedwith the'lever, the connection E, passing through a rail of the switchand Vhaving a stop e, and the spring e', held bevstops, one stopbeing atone end 'and connected with'the upper portion of the cable,tl1e` otherstop being at the other end andconnected -with the lower portion of thecable, 'substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with the inain and switch rails, the endless cableconnected with a lever to operate the said switch-rails and ltheguard-rail, of the stop havingltwolongitudinal openings which receivethe upper and the lower parts of the' cable, one of said parts beinglsecured to the said stopamlhaving its sides expanded to fit inthe spacebetween the foot and the top of the said rails,`snbstantially as and forthe purpose described.

5. rlhe combination, with the` main track,

`the switch, the leverlD, for opening and closing the switch, and meansfor operating the said lever, of `the connection Il, passing through theswitch and conneeted'at its outer end with the lever D, and havinga stop`e on `its inner end, and the spring e ,interposed between the said`stop e and the side of the said switch-rail, substantially asdescribed, for the purpose specied.

(i. rlhe combination, with the switch, the switch-.operating devices,and the inclined block, of the truck, the vertically-movable arm K, thestops, the spring, and thc lateral rollers, substantially as and lforthe purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. ARGO.

Vitnesses:

CHAS. T. WILSON, S. R. BOYD.

TOC'

